


Opposites Clash! Test Your Resolve, Girls!! Behold, the Strength of the Sand!!!!

by QueenAshe (queenofdespair)



Series: Naruto: Mitei no kuronikuru [Lit. "Naruto: Untold Chronicles" - One Shot Stories] [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Chuunin Exams, Feels, Fix-It, Gen, Genin Teams, Let's be honest, Naruto shuts up, Ninja, Part I - Naruto, Pre-Shippuden, Serious Injuries, Weapons, but it won't happen, by which i mean that i completely amend shit because damn kishimoto, mostly - Freeform, my own canon basically, no plot armor here, real ninjas get hurt out here, slight AU, sumiko is a cute little tomboy, suna centric kinda, too much to tag, uncle katsuro just wants her to be a little nicer, when she isn't punching your face in, why are the things I like always tainted with holes, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-07-08 10:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19868080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofdespair/pseuds/QueenAshe
Summary: The eighth match of the preliminaries in the Chuunin Exams!A kunoichi from the Leaf vs a kunoichi from the Sand!!Who will reign supreme?! Read to find out!





	1. Opposites Clash! Test Your Resolve, Girls!! Behold, the Strength of the Sand!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Soundtrack for the fight: "Heavy Violence". 
> 
> Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZivpX91bXYI

Hayate Gekko, a sickly man wearing a navy blue forehead protector over his same colored bandana, took one hand out of his pocket to cough into his fist. "Both genin step forward."

Hinata Hyuuga did so, with a nervous gait, her hands hiding inside her own sleeves. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she stared at the ground.

Sumiko Sanada-Senju marched forward, shoulders squared, arms at her sides. She glared boldly at her opponent.

The difference between the two ninja couldn't have been more pronounced than it was at that moment, for Hinata was a small, delicate and fair skinned girl with white eyes, and dark blue, shoulder-length hair cut in a "hime" style.

Sumiko was a girl with dark brown skin, brown eyes, and a beauty mark on the left side of her own delicate face under her eye. She was a few centimeters taller than Hinata and had a strange hair texture that was unfamiliar to the Hyuuga -- tightly coiled brown bangs that framed the sides of her face, and two big cloudy looking buns on both sides of her head.

Hinata looked up at her, and immediately, raised her shoulders to meet her ears, trying to make herself look smaller. She felt intimidated.

"Good... very good," Hayate nodded. He coughed into his elbow and fanned himself. (Why was it suddenly warm...?). He exhaled and raised his other arm, then brought it down. "The fight may now begin!" He hopped back, to give the girls their space.  
  
Sumiko's eyes narrowed, and as if on command, dropped to the ground in a crouched position, her right leg behind her, both hands on the ground on either side of her, as if getting ready to run. It seemed as if she had a plan already, or maybe she was just _that_ sure of herself, because her movements were clear and concise. _Controlled._ "Prepare yourself."  
  
"....!" Hinata swallowed, growing more uncertain of herself by the second. (What did this girl plan to do...?) "O-okay..." She muttered to herself, getting ready. She closed her eyes, feeling the pressure to do well bearing on her shoulders. In the crowd of people that were watching, she was painfully aware of one of them in particular; a fair-skinned boy with long black hair, and the same white eyes she had. He was her older cousin, Neji Hyuuga. Even if Hinata didn't look at him, she was aware that he was judging her, watching her, waiting for her to fail miserably so that he could rub it in her face. Her nerves were made more apparent by her shaking hands as she attempted to perform the hand-seals needed to activate her family's dojutsu: the Byakugan.  
  
A woman with striking red eyes with an extra ring in them and untamed black hair watched in worry. She bit down anxiously on her thumb. She was the Hyuuga's jonin-sensei, Kurenai Yuuhi, leader of Team Eight. _'C'mon, Hinata... don't tell me you've lost your confidence already... You can do it. You've worked so hard for this....! Don't throw it away!'_

A pair of concerned blue eyes also watched Hinata. The boy that the eyes were attached to, Naruto Uzumaki, felt a single drop of sweat roll down his forehead, just a little past the 'whiskers' on his face. "Hey... Kakashi-sensei. Why's Hinata's shaking like a leaf? Is she having a seizure or somethin'?"

The pink-haired girl near him had a tick mark form above the side of her head. "Naruto, you idiot! Can't you see that she's scared?" She glared at him, and the urge to strike him behind his head rose. She suppressed it, only because of the revised rule the first proctor of the Chuunin Exams, Ibiki Morino created, just before passing them onto the second phase.. ( _"All fights must be official or risk disqualification!"_ ). Sakura Haruno, the only girl of Team Seven sighed. "She's obviously feeling intimidated... I mean, I don't blame her either..." Her green eyes looked towards the dark-skinned Suna ninja who was still in her running position. For some reason by just looking at her, Sakura felt warm. Way too warm.

But all of a sudden, there was a sudden spike. "Ah...!" It bordered on the verge of being close to a open fire, despite the distance.

_It was hot._

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of Sakura's face. She immediately wiped it with the back of her hand and fanned herself without any thought to it. "With a serious face like that, I'd probably shake a little too..." She frowned.

Kakashi Hatake nodded at Sakura's assessment. "She's right, Naruto. You have to be more considerate with your words. Not only was that incorrect, but very _rude_." He teased. "What if she heard you?" He took his hands out of his pockets and walked towards the railing, folding his arms across his chest. "Though, from the looks of her body language, it runs deeper than that. She looks intimidated and possibly afraid of something _more_ than just her opponent..."

"Huh? Like what?"

"I'm not sure yet. But I believe if we keep quiet and watch, we may find out." Kakashi put one finger in front of his lips, which was covered by a mask, motioning for Naruto to shut up and _listen._

The Leaf's Number One Knucklehead wanted to ask more, but all that happened was his bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "Wha--? Ughhhh! _Fiiine_." He conceded, and continued to watch, with his arms behind his head. _'I just hope she snaps out of it... that other girl looks serious as hell!'_

On the other side of the balcony, stood four other ninja from Suna; three students and their own sensei.

The most slender of them was a fair-skinned, sandy blonde-haired girl with a fan that was even taller than her. There was a smirk on her face. "Oi, Kankuro! Does that girl's name sound familiar to you?"

"Hm?" The tallest of the trio-- who was also the middle child -- looked back at the display that showed the names of the current fighters. His dark eyes narrowed, before they went back to normal. The pieces came together, and he responded to the oldest sibling, Temari. "Oh shit, yeah, actually...!" He then smirked himself and made a "hm!" sound. "I knew something about her was familiar! Wasn't she the chick that got kicked out of the Academy?"

"Yup, no doubt about it..." Temari nodded, leaning forward. Her arms dangled off the railing. "I thought she wasn't allowed to be a ninja because she was a 'safety hazard'?"

"That's what I thought too... maybe she was homeschooled or something. Look, she's even got a forehead protector and everything." He pointed to Sumiko's headband around her left arm. The cloth was dark blue in color, which matched with her navy-blue and black color scheme. The symbol on the metal was that of the Sand Village's. "You think the Council let her go? She did alooooot of damage back home..." He snickered. "There were a shitload of parents who were NOT happy with their children being around such a super-powered _freak_. I heard the kids were even happy to see her go. I don't think she made any friends either."

She raised a hand above her eyes and squinted to see it. "Maybe. It's the only way she'd be here." She put her hand down and shrugged. "I don't really care. It's none of my business. Either way, that Leaf ninja stands no chance if Sumiko's her opponent. She should definitely withdraw before she gets hurt... or worse, -- _dies._ "

Back down on the ground:

 _"...Byakugan!"_ Hinata declared, as veins protruded from along Hinata's eyes and the sides of her face. She finally took a stance, a foot behind her, the other forward-- shoulder-length apart. Her left arm was extended, palm facing her opponent, the other palm facing the ceiling, at her side.

Sumiko's eyes hardened. She inhaled, and closed her eyes. The air around her seemed to get heavy. Chakra pooled around her feet, and she dug her right foot into the ground. Her hands clenched, and she pressed her palms into the tiles beneath her. With an exhale, she opened her eyes at last, and just as she moved, the image of her disappeared, almost as if completely from thin air.

"...?!" Hinata's eyes widened. In shock, she turned her head left and right, trying to spot her opponent to no avail. She was somehow gone! The only thing that was left in the girl's wake was a bit of the ground that broke upon her departure; the place where her foot was shattered into pieces, exposing the hard steel floor under it. When Sumiko reappeared, it was in front of Hinata's face. The Suna ninja had her arm reeled back; her hand clenched tightly into a fist, aiming for the Hyuuga's face. There was no time to block or dodge!

"OSOI!"

"GUAH--!" Was the only noise Hinata could make as the fist collided with her cheek, destroying her stance and sending her flying into the wall. The impact of her collision created a thick cloud of smoke, as well as a loud _BOOM_ which caused mini tremors to rock the side of which several Leaf ninja stood.

"..!"

"..!"

"...?!"  
  
"What the...?!"

When the smoke cleared, Hinata was revealed to be in a crater that was twice her size, with both of her eyes wide open, and veins no-longer protruding on the sides of her face. A weak, pathetic noise left her throat in the form of a cough, accompanied by saliva mixed with a bit of red.

Blood.

 _Her_ blood.

 _'Hinata...!'_ Shino Aburame, fellow member of Team Eight, ground his teeth against teeth each other. _'That was way too fast... I couldn't see a thing!'_

Sumiko landed on the ground with a sharp turn. The fist that she punched Hinata with was in front of her torso, her other arm at her side. Her legs and feet were shoulder-length apart. Without a word, she picked her head up, and ran forward again, breaking the ground underneath her. Her image vanished, shocking most of the adults and aspiring genin again. _"HAH!"_

"..!!!" Hinata's eyes widened again as she panicked and moved her aching body away just in time. Sumiko appeared before Hinata again, but this time above her, with a boot-covered leg extended for an axe kick.

_BOOOOOM!_

The crater that was created earlier got larger, and extended towards the underneath of the balcony, sending stronger tremors. Another thick cloud of dust was created from the destruction of earth, rock and cement, which briefly obscured the viewers' vision of Sumiko.

Hinata was on the ground, having rolled herself away. She breathed heavily, and tried to prop herself up, but failed miserably. "--!" She coughed again, and blood stained her mouth. Just breathing hurt her; in fact her entire body, including the right side of her face _hurt._ She coughed several more times, and tried to push herself onto her feet again. There was a thin line of blood that trailed down from the corner of her mouth to her chin, as well as little splatters on the ground under her. A tooth also flew out of her mouth. Her knees wobbled, and gave out, making her fall again. As she looked up, her white eyes locked with her opponent's hard, merciless brown ones. The smoke cleared again, showing Sumiko standing strong and powerful. It was then that Hinata had finally noticed the other reason why it was hard to breathe-- it was insanely _hot. And it was coming from her._

_"Get up."_ She pulled her foot out of the rubble, and shook it off before turning to face Hinata once more. She then punched her hand into her open palm, which was then followed by a strong, invisible pressure that forced Hinata back with a yelp. Although the Senju had no dojutsu of her own, she was able to feel chakra and read certain types. Without it, she was still able to read body language. Thus she was able to notice the way that Hinata's hands shook when she was performing her hand-seals. She narrowed her eyes once more, studying the Hyuuga's hesitation; her nervousness. She could feel Hinata's chakra; it was just as shaky as _she_ was. Fizzling. 

_Blinking in and out._

It all told her one thing: _  
_

_She wasn't fighting at full potential._

And that was enough for Sumiko to determine that she already didn't like this girl. "Get up and fight back. If you don't, forget about ever becoming anything more than you already are... which isn't much right now." She was a very blunt person, straight to the point. _  
_

Hinata looked up again, propping herself up by her arms. "...." Her hair was slightly disheveled, and sweat had gathered along the width of her forehead. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly, which was the only indication that she was still alive. _For now._ She was able to slowly get to her knees. 

Kurenai wore a frown that didn't belong on her face. _'Get up..! Come on, you can do it!',_ she thought. She wanted to verbalize her thoughts and yell positive reinforcement, but stopped just shy of it because she knew that Hinata wouldn't be able to focus if she did. She didn't want to take her out of the moment, but it was becoming increasingly clear that maybe she did need something right then. 

Luckily that came in the voice of Naruto.

"HINATA!"

"...?!" The Hyuuga finally stood, and slightly jumped, to see him yelling at (to?) her.

"Don't her bully you! You're as strong as you think you are!!" He yelled, cupping his two hands around his mouth to project his voice.

 _'N-naruto-kun...'_ Her eyes widened momentarily. _'T-that's right... he's here too..'_

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?!" Sakura whisper-shouted. "Shut up! You've thrown her off focus!" She scolded.

"But that super-strong freak isn't giving her a fair fight! What, am I 'sposed to just watch? Uh-uh, no way! It's not fair! She's bullying her!" Of course, the idiot didn't believe in 'inside voices' so he was loud, way louder than he should have been.

There was a laugh, which sent chills down Naruto's spine. His eyes turned to white saucers and he slowly turned back to see the source of it:

Sumiko down below, laughing with a hand over her mouth.

"Grr....! What the hell's so funny?!" Naruto shouted.

Sumiko stopped laughing and folded her arms across her chest. " _You._ " She tilted her head to the side. "You're funny. A fair fight? Are you kidding me? There's no such thing as _'fair'_ in this world. At all." Her face took on a serious expression. "Ninja are expected to serve their country, unflinchingly, and nearly without question. Ninja are expected to be emotionless robots-- glorified messengers masquerading as people. They're instruments of death and destruction. Does _any_ of that sound fair to you, dumb ass?"  
  
"....?"

"...."

"...!"  
  
"........." The shortest of the Sand Siblings, a pale-skinned boy with blood-red hair and no eyebrows tightened his eyes at the second to last part. He knew that all too well, since he was born a living weapon to the Sand Village...

"To be a chuunin _alone_ means facing the possibility of death!" She rolled her eyes, as if what she was saying was common sense. (Which it was, but common sense came less easily to some people, she realized...).

With a shrug, she continued. "Just think. Why do you think so many spineless kids didn't make it through the first phase, much less the second? Not everyone can handle it. Not everyone can be a ninja-- which is now more apparent to me with this girl over here. Fidgeting and shaking like a leaf..." She turned to Hinata. "You annoy me... What do you honestly hope to gain from this? What's your motive for _being_ a ninja? To impress someone? Or are you doing this because of your obvious lack of self-worth?"

Hinata's bottom lip trembled. She was flabbergasted by this girl's words. "I..."  
  
_"Well?"_

"...." The Hyuuga swallowed. She was right... what was she doing this for? For what reason did she fight?... _'Maybe... maybe I shouldn't have come after all... maybe Neji's right... I am pathetic...'_ Her shoulders touched her ears, and she blinked rapidly. Hinata had the tendency to lose her nerve against stronger opponents; something Kurenai had tried many times to correct, but to no avail. She was no doubt the weakest member of her team; only being decent at tracking because of her Byukagan. Even _Neji_ was better at it then her, and he didn't even need hand-seals to activate it! _'I'm definitely a burden.... A nuisance. Shino and Kiba always protect me...'_ She thought. _'I'm weak... I'm so, so, so weak.... I don't amount to anything...!'_ She clenched her fists. She sharply inhaled and squeezed her eyes shut. _'Even now, I....!'_

Annoyed further by the girl, she scoffed. "I'll take your silence as an answer, then. What a shame. Like I said, not everyone can be a ninja. If you aren't willing to do what it takes, you don't deserve to be in this room, taking up space that other people could be in." Sumiko, once more took her 'runner's position'. "Since you got this far, I was under the impression that you had potential. Apparently, I was wrong. Anyway, here I come. I'll just crush you now because I'm done talking." She didn't say anything more after that. The severe look on her face screamed finality.

There was a little sad smile on the face of a light-brown skinned man with red eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a faceplate which had the Sand Village's symbol etched into the middle of it which was over his forehead. He crossed his strong arms over his chest, and shook his head. He was Katsuro Senju, her guide and mentor for the duration of the Chuunin Exams. He was also her Uncle. _'Truth hurts... but it what it is. Man, she's totally your kid, Yasuke...'_ He nervously chuckled to himself. _'Anyway, I hope she doesn't overdo it.... it's the first time she's fought an actual person besides my sister and brother in law.. That'd be bad for alot of reasons... and most folks can't handle Senju strength... But she's smart and disciplined. She's got this. She's no longer that helpless little girl who couldn't control herself..._

_She's not the girl who accidentally injured 20 kids and killed 9 of them._

_She's not the girl who was nearly deemed a failure by the Ninja Academy anymore. She's completely different...!'_

The smile he had morphed into one of pride and confidence. _'Show the world the new you, Sumiko! Go!! Give 'em hell! Show them what a real kunoichi looks like...!!'_

Hinata opened her eyes again, tears sitting at her waterlines. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying her best not to cry. ("Ninja don't cry in battle," she remembered her father telling her.) Yet... that's all she wanted to do. Whatever little self confidence she had at the beginning was sucked out of her in less of a fraction of a second... and with nothing but a mere look. She swallowed. _'But... I have a team... and... I want to a be a good kunoichi to protect them... I don't want to burden them so much anymore...'_ She looked up, briefly locking eyes with Kurenai. _'I don't want to have to worry them...._ _I think.... I think that's my reason... i-it's not strong enough... but I want to be better...! Because I don't want to be an inconvenience...!'_

The black-haired woman caught a weird look in Hinata's eyes; one she's never seen before. Was that what Hinata needed to hear....? She didn't know, but in good faith, she clasped her hands together over her heart and nodded to her student in encouragement. A small fire was in the Hyuuga girl's eyes-- that same particular fire that Kurenai had tried to light to no avail before this moment. Even though she knew her student couldn't read her mind, still she thought as she could. _'Go, Hinata, Go!! I believe in you! I've always believed in you! Do it!!'_

And in silent understanding, Hinata nodded back. She looked back at Sumiko. Feeling renewed, Hinata held on to the small fire that was ignited in her heart. She raised her hands once more to do the hand-seals to activate Byakugan, and when she finished, took her poised stance once more, with veins protruding around her eyes. "S-Sumiko... I challenge you!"

Sumiko's hard gaze didn't let up. "...." Her fingers dug into the ground, as did her feet. _'That dojutsu again.. Hm... I don't know what it does, but I'll assume that it's supposed to help her fight better... Too bad this match has already been decided. Only one of us will walk away, and that's the one who's the strongest. That person is me. Sorry, Hyuuga girl, but I need to pass into the next round. Unlike you, I'm willing to do what it takes to be a ninja. I have a goal I want to reach...'_ Chakra flared up, and surrounded both feet and arms this time around. She lowered herself to the ground. As her eyes were trained on Hinata, never leaving this time around, she reminded the Hyuuga of a hungry hawk, looking to sink her talons into her prey. _'I'm already strong because I fight for myself. I want to be even stronger than today... and tomorrow. Eventually, I want to be the strongest...! The strongest woman alive.....!'_ The heat that came from the Senju manifested as the same invisible, wall of pressure from before; but the split tail ends of her jacket also seemed to fly upwards as well, making Hinata's eyes widen in shock.

With her Byakugan active, the girl finally realized why she was sweating:

It was her _chakra._

_Sumiko's chakra was hot!_

Before she could question herself on why this was so, Sumiko made the first move again, rushing forward, and disappearing midway. This time, a larger crater the size of the one on the wall was created when she moved, accompanied by a large gust of wind that propelled her forward.

_'Because that's my Bushido!'_

This time, Hinata could see what happened--

As she ran, Sumiko used chakra to conceal her footsteps, and launch herself forward in the initial attack-- making her super fast. Since Hinata was able to see her chakra network system, she made sure to cover her palms. However, this time, Sumiko didn't appear before her face, or above her. Instead--

 _Tap, tap._ Sumiko landed again. 

She was behind her.

"By the way, I just remembered to tell you this: Your eyes won't work on someone like me."

Hinata turned around just barely to avoid another punch-- but the missed blow caused another gust of air to be created. The result was a thin cut on Hinata's cheek, and the opposite wall having a light crater the size of a fist. The Hyuuga stepped forward and brought up a hand to close off a chakra point on her arm, but Sumiko crouched down, slammed her hands onto the ground, and twisted herself around, a foot connecting with the back of Hinata's knee.

"Ah--!" She fell onto her side harshly. Like the punch to her face, this kick wasn't without purpose. Though it wouldn't be clear to Hinata until the third strike, what Sumiko's strategy was. She tried to stand once more, but failed as her leg gave out. There was an unnatural crack. Pain erupted from the point of impact, up to her side. "AGH!" She clenched her jaw and cried out in agony. It hurt to move her leg. "...!" When she looked up, the last thing she saw and heard were quickened footsteps leading into a lunge that ended in a harsh elbow to Hinata's other side, specifically her left ear. She went flying once more a few centimeters above the tiled floor, and skidded onto the ground. A hand twitched once, twice, then nothing. Everything hurt, and the room seemed to spin. Her eyes struggled to stay open.

"Hinata!" Someone yelled from the crowd. It seemed like it came from Shino, but she wasn't sure. She was slipping out of consciousness. Someone else yelled her name, then another. Eventually, the voices fell away, and the room did too. Her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side.

She didn't move again after that.  
  
Sumiko had succeeded in destroying the girl's equilibrium, which was her goal from the beginning. The first punch was meant to knock her nearly unconscious, which would break her focus. The second strike was to shatter her center, and the third to completely break balance altogether... but if she was unconscious or dead, that'd be a bonus. _'It was just unlucky for you that I was your opponent. Hopefully you understand that the real world is even harsher than I am. You'll thank me one day for sparing you.'_ Dusting herself off, she relaxed her position and exhaled. As Sanada tradition, she raised a fist in the air, with her left arm crossing over her chest, and her hand resting on her right shoulder.

 _Victory,_ is what that meant.

"What I'd told ya? We got a winner," Temari smirked.

"I know... but geez. Those craters though." Kankuro shook his head. "You think she's really dead?"

Finally, the red-head spoke. "....Who cares....?" He didn't look at his siblings. (He never thought of them as siblings to begin with anyway.) "You two are annoying.... Shut the hell up already...."

They both sweatdropped, and comically held each other. "R-right! S-sorry, Gaara..!"

Gaara ignored their apology and them largely, again. He also ignored the worried cries of the Leaf ninja as they wondered about the status of their own. Kurenai jumped down, instantly rushing to her student, trying to check for a pulse. It was there but faint. "Medic! Hurry up! We need a medic!" The boy wondered what the fuss was all about. She failed, didn't she? Why was everyone so worried....? It was all foreign to him. He thought it was a waste.

With a sigh, he stepped back from the railing, and watched in mild disinterest as she was eventually carried out by two medics who wore all-white with the Leaf's symbol over their foreheads.

The only thing that the thirteen year old cared about was the status of the match.

Which was declared by Hayate Gekko to be,

"Sumiko... Sanada-Senju wins, by complete knockout!"


	2. The Next Match Up Is....!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute little interactions in between matches.~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't want to muddle down the fight with dialogue, so I decided to make this a separate thing of it's own.  
> Plus, I want to get to the fun.~
> 
> So here's this. Enjoy~

"Sumiko Sanada-Senju wins by knockout!"

Of course, it was way more than that, which Hayate proceeded to explain to the group of shocked genin, worried she'd died.

"Hinata succumbed to the damage her body was put under. It is because of this, that she is rendered unable to fight and will not be moving to the next part." He coughed into his elbow again, and rubbed at one of his eyes with the back of his hand. "Now that the eighth match is over with, shall we continue to the ninth?"

Naruto sat back with a scowl on his face. _'That Sand girl...'_ he thought bitterly, watching Hinata being carried out by two Konoha medics. He made sure to take in Hinata's face, the way that her skin looked slightly paler than usual, the drying blood that coated her chin and lips. Her chest was barely moving. Kurenai was down there, too. She was talking to a medic off to the side, and seemed to have a pained expression on her face. Naruto couldn't hear anything (they were whispering), but it didn't look like good news to say the least... She eventually walked back upstairs, fists clenched on both sides of her. His cerulean blue eyes flickered back to Hinata. She was a bit weird, as she always blushed around him and could never speak without stuttering severly, but he could tell that she was a good person. 

She was just socially awkward.

And to make matters worse, she was shy and had no self-esteem. Despite that, Hinata always had a smile on her face around him. He could tell that she was trying really hard to overcome her shyness and anxiety, which was why he stuck up for her so often back at the Academy. But overall, he didn't know her too well... Whenever he had time, he'd make sure to fix that first by visiting her at the hospital. He just hope her injuries weren't too bad. Looking at her current state, and remembering the brief courage she displayed in the latter half of her fight, he felt like he was meeting Hinata for the first time all over again. Seeing her lay so still.... he hated it! Had the fight continued, Naruto didn't even _want_ to think about it... 

_"Ninja are expected to serve their country, unflinchingly, and nearly without question. Ninja are expected to be emotionless robots-- glorified messengers masquerading as people. They're instruments of death and destruction..."_

And to hear what Sumiko thought of the ninja world... also unsettled him. Oddly enough, he somewhat understood the first part, and rejected the second. 

Her ideas weren't too far off from what Haku and Zabuza believed... in fact, it was practically the same thing... _"Ninjas are tools, nothing more. They are then to be discarded when they're no longer useful."_

It was really the third and last sentences respectively that was throwing him off his game. If that's what she thought about ninja, then... how did she feel about the Kages? If she was really thought that, what does it mean for _her?_ Does she think herself as a weapon to be used? Is she okay with that? Why..--?

"Naruto! Hey, Naruto!"

"....!" The Uzumaki woke up from his trance-like state and turned to look at his teammate who seemed worried about him, _genuinely_ worried. "S-Sakura-chan...?"

"Hey... you alright? You... look you saw a ghost or something... I called your name four times and you didn't answer." Her face softened, searching his own for a response. "It's.. also the first time I've seen you not immediately yell back or something..."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed, and a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "It's... ah..." Then he shook his head, and decided to not voice his own worries. "It's alright. I'm fine. I just didn't have anything to say, is all." He put his hands in his pockets. _'If I become Hokage... does that mean I'm a mindless tool too....?'_ He picked his head up and pushed that troublesome thought out of his head. He forced himself to smile at her. "Ah, thanks for worryin' about me! Really, I'm fine now...! Just knowing that you care makes me feel lots better already!"

Sakura blinked, and then awkwardly fiddled with her thumbs. She still felt like something was wrong, but ... she didn't want to push it. If Naruto said he was okay then.... "I'm glad!" She nodded and smiled back.

Towards the end of the staircase:

A pair of strong, wrinkled hands came together to clap once, twice, then three times. This was followed by a hearty laugh. "Excellent! It seems as if the Sand Village has brought out their strongest genin! How interesting!" The man declared. He wore white robes and a hat that was the same color with red kanji on it. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current and Third Hokage. "What beautiful chakra control as well! Marvelous! Young Uzumaki can stand to learn a couple of tricks from her."

Ibiki Morino chuckled with a nod. "Not only that, but she seems to be able to strike the weak spots of the body... at her age, and with such vigor...! She knew what she was doing. She'd make an excellent ninja. Right now, I'd say she's definitely chuunin material. How about you, Anko?" The Jonin Specialist turned his scarred face to look at the purple-haired woman next to him.

The woman tapped her finger against a chin, and pursed her lips. "Well.~ She's rough around the edges, that's for sure. But I think she's going to definitely be a top contender in the finals. Her monster strength, with that much chakra control, and proficiency in Taijutsu will most likely be a problem for the other finalists. Ah.." She semi-pouted. "It's a shame she's not a Konoha shonobi. We could use someone like her around here. Everyone's too soft and buddy-buddy."

"Is that last part directed at me, Ms. Mitarashi?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

Anko giggled, a playful smirk on her face. "No disrespect of course, Lord Third.~" She even threw in a head bow and little curtsy before standing up straight again.

He regarded her for a moment, and then smirked himself. He placed his arms behind his back and looked back at the electronic board. "None taken."

On the other side:

"Man, what a drag.." Shikamaru Nara's shoulders slumped. "How many people are left anyway?" He sat on the ground, his chin sitting in his hand.

"Mmm.. well, that Senju girl just went so," chimed in Ino, his teammate from Team Ten. The blonde-haired girl counted on her fingers, muttering to herself. "Lee, Choji, the one Sound guy who's left, and then the creepy looking Sand guy, the one with the red hair. Ah-- almost forgot, Neji hasn't gone yet either...! So 5. ..Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Well... if there's 5 of us left, and two more matches, then one person won't be able to fight, right? Or one person will have to fight twice?" She frowned, looking at her fingers. "Aw... I think they might make up another test on the spot or something to remedy that..."

Shikamaru's eyes turned into white saucers as he sweatdropped. " _More_ fighting?! Uuuughhhh.... Man, in that case, I'd rather drop out..."

"H-hey! Don't talk about quitting so casually..! Don't you want to be a chuunin?!" She made a fist at him, and shook it in front of his face.

 _'Oh right.. Ino'll kill me if I don't try.. why are girls so tough around here...? Why the hell I'd have to get such a scary teammate like her..'_ Shikamaru sighed, and pouted, rather immaturely. "Fine! ...Whatever." He then laid on his back, choosing to stare at the ceiling instead. "Just tell me when the fight starts.."

Ino crossed her arms and scoffed. _'You lazy little...! Ugh!'_ But then she sighed, and her face softened. She decided to let him go. "....Sure, Shika."

On her way back upstairs:

Sumiko chose to walk, and conserve her chakra just in case the proctors decided to do another makeshift exam. (Shifty people, they were. She didn't trust them, much less any other of the genin.) She was greeted by her grinning Uncle.

"Hey sunshine, how you feel?"

"Like I wasted my skills." She answered flatly. Sumiko frowned, and plopped down, with her legs crossed under her, and her hands in her lap. "And I told you not to call me that! I'm 13 now..." She groaned, averting her eyes away from him, with a scowl.

Like usual, he ignored her pleas.

She would always be his little sunshine, regardless if she liked it or not. (Which was why she stopped fighting with him over it.)

"Aw, c'mon, sunshine! I think you were amazing! Don't you think that's a little harsh, though?" Katsuro sweatdropped.

In place of annoyed groan, there was a sigh. _"No."_

 _'She's definitely your daughter, Yumiko...'_ The older Senju laughed nervously. With a grunt, he squatted down besides his niece. "In any case, now we got lots of intel on your possible threats for the finals, right? That has to be exciting! Aren't cha' pumped?"

She shrugged, her gaze still on the ground. She traced an imaginary circle into the ground. "I guess."

Katsuro's shoulders slumped as he sighed again. _'You too, Yasuke..'_ He scratched the side of his head and smiled nervously. "Oh! Look, the next match's been announced. You gonna watch?"

Sumiko looked up at the electronic score board and sighed again. She shifted herself around to see the ground below her properly. There was a small pout on her face.

He sweatdropped for the third time. _'Is-_ _Is she seriously sulking....? Geez... Ah well... It's nice to see her be cute, though... I rarely get to see it since she's growing... Ah... I wish time would slow down. It feels too fast nowadays.... If I blink the wrong way, she won't be a kid anymore one day....'_ He then smiled and put his arm around her shoulders.

And he chuckled, fond memories running through his head of a younger Sumiko, of simpler times...

"Gaara of the Desert, Rock Lee. Both genin, please step forward."


End file.
